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Livingston Academy celebrates its past and raises money for its future with the LA Alumni Banquet Saturday.
Planning Committee Member Lesley Riddle said more than 200 people are expected at the event, which will feature two speakers reminiscing about their experiences at Livingston Academy.
“We’ve raised almost $200,000 for Livingston Academy for which they’ve been able to put up storage buildings, buy things for the students, buy things for the teachers, upgrade some technology here and there,” Riddle said. “But we’re raising money just to be used at the school for things that really the school board can’t afford or it’s something that the school can’t raise the funds for themselves.”
Riddle said the ultimate goal is to have 1,000 sustaining members in the alumni association, raising $25,000 for LA projects.
Saturday night also features the induction of four new members into the Livingston Academy Hall of Fame. Riddle said this will mark the second year for that honor.
“I think there were 20 or 30 nominees just from whether it was a family member or a former student trying to induct a teacher or something like that,” Riddle said. “So I think there’s a lot of people trying to give the shout out to that person that we know went to Livingston Academy we know has gone out and people have been able to say, ‘hey, that person graduated from Livingston Academy.’ You’ve got to be really proud of where you came from. So that’s been a really good addition.”
Eight people were honored in the inaugural class, and Riddle said the committee had a lot of difficulty getting the class to that number.
Alumni back to the 1940s and 1950s have attended the banquet. Riddle said it makes you understand the impact of the school and its teachers on the lives of young people.
Tickets are still available for Saturday night’s event. Call Livingston Academy for more information.
“You know, some of the stories we hear when people come back to the alumni dinner is, is how Livingston Academy shaped their lives,” Riddle said. “And we know as an education system, we’re raising, hopefully responsible citizens that give back to the community. And I think a lot of these alums from Livingston Academy are willing to say, ‘yes, those four years kind of shaped me and the teachers I had shaped me.’ And so it’s important that they are able to give back to the next generation or the next generation.”
